John Owen on the Christian Life

John Owen has long been recognized by evangelicals as one of the greatest of all English-speaking theological classics. Like Augustine, whom he so admired, Owen’s thinking touched both the depths of sin and the heights of grace. Many of his readers have come away from reading him on such themes as temptation, or indwelling sin, feeling that Owen knew them through and through.

The truth is that Owen had come-by intensive and constant study of both Scripture and the human heart- to know both himself and God. It was out of this rich experience that he preached and wrote on the loftiest themes of Christian theology.

Because of this background, Owen’s teaching was always pastoral in its concern. His aim, said his assistant David Clarkson, was ‘to promote holiness’. Consequently his work has survived through the centuries and is now more widely recognized and appreciated than it has been for many years. His writings address the fundamental issues Christians face in every age: How can I live the Christian life? How am I to deal with sin and temptation? How can I find assurance, and live for the honour of Jesus Christ?

John Owen on the Christian Life expounds Owen’s teaching on these and related themes. The first book-length study of any aspect of Owen’s thought, it also stands on its own as a study in pastoral theology. Ministers, Christian leaders, readers of Owen, and those who are daunted by the sheer voluminousness of his writings will find this book an ideal companion.